Science Buddies Blog (Page 75)

Sinkhole Science: Sudden Hole Swallows Corvettes Whole

February 12, 2014 11:49 AM

A car museum turned into a tragic no parking zone this week when a sinkhole opened up, wiping out a fleet of prized automobiles. Sinkholes apparently have no regard for the caliber of car or building that may be sitting on the surface, but what happens below the surface to account for sudden and catastrophic openings? With hands-on science projects sponsored by Chevron, students can experiment to learn more. Above: A set of corvettes in KY disappeared this week in… Read more

Landslide Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 6, 2014 11:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an environmental engineering and Earth science project and hands-on activity that lets students and families explore what's happening when a landslide occurs. With a simple homemade model using a clipboard and pennies, students simulate how the angle of repose changes with different hill mass and slope surfaces. What happens when you change the materials used in an object sitting on a slope? What's going on with gravity on a slope? At what point does sliding begin… Read more

The Science of Winning Olympic Gold

February 5, 2014 9:00 AM

Later this week, amazing athletes from around the world will converge on Sochi, Russia for the 22nd Olympic Winter Games. Beyond practice and determination, what affects a gold-medalist's performance? The answer is simple—lots and lots of science. By Kim Mullin What comes to mind when you think of the Winter Olympics? The sparkling skill of figure skaters, or perhaps the terrifying speed of downhill skiers? While skating and skiing get lots of attention, the Winter Olympics include… Read more

Inspiring Future Female Engineers: GoldieBlox Goes to the Super Bowl

February 3, 2014 9:30 AM

If you were watching the Super Bowl on Sunday with an eye especially tuned to the ads, you were not alone. Super Bowl Sunday is big business for advertisers. Chips. Beverages. Condiments. Cars. More cars. You might see ads for all of these in 30-90 second spots between turnovers. But this year, you also saw the promise and potential of a future generation of girl engineers. Above: GoldieBlox's 2014 Super Bowl Sunday ad. As a result of the "Small Business Big Game" contest sponsored… Read more

Pixel Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 30, 2014 9:15 AM

In this week's spotlight: a video and computer games project and family activity that lets you investigate how the number of pixels used to create a video game object determines how it will look in the game. If you compare older games to new ones, you probably see a big difference in how the characters look today. Which look better? Do you know why? The number of pixels used in creating the images has a lot to do with the differences you see. In this… Read more

Super Bowl Sunday and Science on the Field

January 27, 2014 11:30 AM

Before or after the big game, tune in for great hands-on sports science ideas that help turn an interest in football into an exciting science experiment. No matter who wins on Sunday, science will be part of every play, run, fumble, kick, and score. You just have to know where to look. To Kick or Not to Kick Not every field goal attempt will score. There are many variables that come into play when the kick team comes onto the field, including distance and wind. Knowing when to kick may be… Read more

Static Electricity Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 23, 2014 8:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an electricity project and family activity that takes the zap out of static electricity. What causes the buildup of static electricity and may cause you to get "shocked" when wearing, rubbing up against, or touching certain materials or objects? What does what the object is made of have to do with static electricity? In this project, you and your family can build a cool tool, an electroscope, to detect electric charges and test to see how different materials… Read more

Puppy Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 16, 2014 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a mammalian biology project and family activity that encourages families to talk about and explore why puppies and other animals huddle together for warmth. Does cuddling up really increase warmth? Put it to the test in this hands-on science experiment! Huddle & Cuddle: How Puppies Keep Warm (full Science Buddies Project Idea) Snuggly Science: How Puppies Keep Warm (science activity at Scientific American) Read more

The New CEO of General Motors Inspires Students about Engineering

January 14, 2014 10:27 AM

Stories about Mary Barra have the potential to empower, encourage, and inspire students of all ages as she takes on a very visible and important leadership role in the automotive industry. As Barra shows, even something as simple as making paper boats can make a difference in how students (or adults) perceive science and engineering—and maybe in how a company performs! Mary Barra, new CEO of GM, leads the GM "A World in Motion" skimmer boat in Bates Academy student competition last… Read more

Cellphone Spectrophotometry: Turn a Phone Into a Functional Piece of Science Equipment (Science-hack Your Phone: Part 2)

January 9, 2014 12:00 PM

Cellphone cameras do a great job of helping us capture funny and memorable moments that we can share through our favorite social media sites, text messages, or email. That same imaging technology can be used as the basis for useful medical and scientific tools—or just for fun at home-exploration. Image: Based on a figure from Martin Silberberg's Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change; McGraw-Hill, 2011.In our last installment, we covered a DIY project for the… Read more

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